Warts & Corns: Causes, Types, and Their Homeopathic Treatment

Unpleasant skin growths like Warts & Corn are a very common problem but are highly troublesome & painful sometimes.

Scientists estimate that about one in ten people has warts or verrucas at some point in time in their lives. Warts and corns are the most common skin problem after acne.

What are warts?

Warts are annoying skin growths that are caused by the excessive and rapid growth of keratin, which is a hard protein on the top layer of the skin. Sometimes they go away within months or years.

Causes of Warts

Warts are caused by a virus called ‘Human Papilloma Virus’ (HPV). There are more than 60 kinds of HPV, out of these; some are responsible for warts on the skin. 

HPV virus infects the superficial layer of the skin and enters the body from the broken surface of the skin. HPV stimulates the quick growth of cells on the skin's outer layer, forming a wart.

Risk factors for Warts

Although we are all exposed to HPV, some people seem to be more susceptible to it, while others are naturally resistant. Warts can appear more often in:

• People with weakened immune systems.
• Children and teenagers, as have not (yet) built up antibodies to the virus and have more frequent contact with other wart carriers.
• People who are on steroid treatment, or who are suffering from the disease like HIV infections, which suppress the immune system of the body.
• People who walk barefoot where exposure to a wart-causing virus is common, such as in locker rooms.

Genital warts are more contagious. Different HPV strains cause different warts.

Risk of Spread of Warts

They may occur in any age, sex & society. They can happen anywhere on the body, are disfiguring and embarrassing, are highly contagious, and can also spread from one part of a body to another. 

They may be painful if they are located in areas of repeated friction or pressure. The virus can spread to other parts of the body through:

• Scratching or biting a wart
• Sucking fingers
• Cutting or biting the nails, if there are warts around the nails
• Shaving the face or legs

Having wet or damaged skin, and coming into contact with rough surfaces increase the risk of infection.

Types of warts

There are different types of warts depending on location and their structure:

Common wart (Verruca vulgaris) - 

These warts have a firm, raised, rough surface and may appear cauliflower-like.

They can occur anywhere on the body but mostly appears on hands, knuckles, fingers, elbows, knees, and any area with broken skin. 

Flat wart (Verruca plana) - 

Flat warts are small, smooth flattened warts, flesh-colored, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists, and knees.

Also known as plane warts, they grow most often in sun-exposed areas.

Filiform or digitate wart -

These are thread- or finger-like warts, long and thin in shape, most common on the face.

They can grow rapidly on the eyelids, neck, and armpits.

Genital wart (venereal wart, Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata) - 

A wart occurs on the genitalia. Most warts are harmless, but some strains of HPV can cause warts on, in, or around the genitals. These warts can be more serious. In women, they can potentially lead to cervical, anal, and vulvovaginal cancer.

In men, anal cancer and cancer of the glans penis can also occur as a result of infection with some types of genital warts.

• Mosaic warts - These are multiple plantar warts in a large cluster, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet.

• Periungual wart - A cauliflower-like cluster of warts that occurs around the nails.

• Plantar wart (Verruca plantaris) - These are painful (in some cases) and hard lumps, usually only appearing on pressure points on the soles of the feet. Painful verrucae appear on the soles of the feet, heels, and toes.

Plantar warts are often difficult to clear.

Symptoms of Warts

Symptoms mainly depend on the type of warts. They are usually painless. But at pressure sites, they can be painful.

How to diagnose warts?

The physical appearance of a wart can suggest the diagnosis and type of wart. In a rare cases, it can be confirmed by skin biopsy by taking a sample of the wart. It is needed if it isn't clear that the growth is a wart or if it bleeds and is fast-growing.

It is a good idea to see a doctor if the wart:

• Causes pain
• Bleeds easily
• Changes appearance
• Spreads easily to other parts of the body
• Comes back after prior removal
• Needs to be removed for cosmetic reasons.

Treatment of Warts & Corns

Warts are usually harmless, but in case they are problematic and need treatment, the choice of treatment includes:

• Using a home treatment such as salicylic acid or duct tape. You can get these without a prescription.
• Putting a stronger medicine on the wart, or getting a shot of medicine in it.
• Cryotherapy - Freezing the wart.
• Removing the wart with surgery by electro-surgery, curettage, or laser surgery.

Wart treatment doesn't always work. Even after a wart shrinks or goes away, warts may come back or spread to other parts of the body. This is because even if you remove warts by surgery or salicylic acid, the virus remains in the body that causes the wart.

How to prevent warts & Corns?

The first way to prevent skin warts is to avoid coming into contact with the virus and reduce the risk of catching or spreading warts:

• Do not touch other people's warts.
• Do not use the infected person's towels, washcloths, or other personal items.
• Do not share shoes and socks with the infected person.
• Do not scratch or touch warts repeatedly, as this can cause them to spread.
• Wear sandals when entering and exiting communal showers and pools.
• Do not use the same nail cutter on the infected nail and the healthy nails.
• Do not bite fingernails if warts are near them.
• Keep hands as dry as possible.
• Wash hands thoroughly after touching a wart.
• Also, when if you go to the barber for shaving, be sure to use a new razor that won’t tear or cut your skin, and don’t use their towel, etc.

Warts are common, and they can cause embarrassment. Sometimes they need treatment to eliminate them.

Homeopathic Treatment for Warts & Corns

The conventional mode of treatment of warts, like cauterization, freezing, and putting acid on warts, doesn't always work. Even after removal, warts may come back or spread to other parts of the body. This is because most treatments destroy the wart but don't kill the virus that causes the wart. 

On another side, they may cause pain and scarring. But homeopathic medicines for warts treat this condition in a very safe, mild, gentle, and painless way. Homeopathic medicines follow a curative approach to treat warts by removing them completely. 

These medicines also stop their recurrence. Homeopathic medicines for warts & corns boost the immune system of the body to fight infectious viruses and destroy them. Homeopathic medicines for warts & corns are natural and easy to take and free from any side effects. 

The best Homeopathic medicines for genital warts or warts on the face and other parts of the body are Causticum, Antimonium crudum, Dulcamara, Nitric acid, Ruta, and Thuja Occidentalis, etc.

Some of our cured cases of Warts & Corns, treated with Homeopathic medicines 

Case 1

This is a case of a young lady of 23 years old, which was having multiple warts on the upper surface of both hands for the last 6 months. As her marriage was scheduled for 3 months, she was very nervous and anxious. She has taken some conventional treatment without any relief.

When she came to us, she started crying due to the condition of her hand as warts were on the exposed part and she has to put the Mehandi (henna) on them. She had a fear that her husband and in-laws might reject her due to this problem. 

Now, this was a challenge for me to treat her in a short period so that she can enjoy her marriage.

After completing case taking and an assessment of her symptoms, we gave the Homeopathic medicine to her. 

Within 6 to 7 weeks, all her warts disappeared. She was very happy and returned to ‘Gadwal’ with some more medicine, at her hometown for marriage, as she came to Delhi at her sister's home for the treatment of these warts.

Case 2

This is a case of a male of 25 years old, which was having a large horny plantar wart on the plantar surface of the left palm. It was too big and painful if something hit with this. The patient was unable to close the fist completely as it was painful.

After a complete assessment of his symptoms we prescribed the homeopathic medicine to him and in two months, that planter wart had gone completely.

Case 3

This is a case of a small girl 7 years old, which was having a big wart on her tongue. The girl feels very uncomfortable due to the presence of this wart on her tongue.

Considering her all symptoms we prescribed the right homeopathic medicine to her and in one month, her tongue wart had gone completely.

About the Author: Dr. Rahul Singh

Dr. Rahul Singh is a registered Homeopath and Certified Nutritionist with over 16 years of experience and recipient of multiple awards, helps busy people in this fast life, re-energize with tips on a healthy diet, yoga, beauty, health, and wellness strategies that have an impact on their life.